SPP Event: A Year on from the DB Funding Regime - a Covenant, Investment and Actuarial Conversation
Online
Tuesday 25 November 2025
09:00-10:15
This session, shaped to be a reflective conversation between covenant, actuarial and investment experts, explores how the new Funding Regime is bedding down. Your panel will share their experiences on a range of interesting issues, including setting journey plans and assessing a sponsor’s prospects, whilst navigating the Value at Risk dynamic and long-term investment strategies.
Speakers
Laura Higgins
Partner, Isio
Laura is a Partner and Actuary at Isio with 20 years’ experience advising trustees and sponsors of DB schemes. Laura is the Head of Isio’s 100 strong Bristol team and also leads the GMP Proposition at Isio.
Arabella Slinger (Chair)
Partner, Penfida Limited
Arabella advises a wide range of trustee and sponsor clients varying in terms of size and complexity, strength of covenant and industry, with extensive experience in evaluating covenants and developing solutions that are integrated with schemes’ funding and investment objectives, in the context of both regular triennial valuations and corporate transactions and restructurings.
Outside the office, she has undertaken expeditions to the North and South Poles, as well as traversing the Greenland ice cap.
Ali Corris
Investment Consultant, Mercer Limited
Ali is a Principal at Mercer and has 14 years of experience within the pension and investment industry, beginning her career with Mercer in 2011, after completing a BSc (Hons) in Actuarial Science and an MSc, both at Heriot Watt University. She delivers investment strategy advice to a range of small to large UK Defined Benefit pension clients and, in addition to leading advisory roles, she also holds specialist strategy and liability hedging advisory roles – helping clients understand and navigate the risks in these complex areas.
Ali sits on Mercer’s LDI & Derivatives Working Group and Investment Strategy Working Group, helping to develop guidance and best practices for the complex hedging and strategy challenges that many of Mercer’s clients face. Ali is also Mercer’s investment lead to provide support for colleagues and clients as they navigate the new requirements under the DB Funding Code.
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